Received; read twice and referred to the
Committee on Foreign
Relations

April 26, 2012

Reported by Mr. Kerry,
without amendment

AN ACT

To measure the progress of relief,
recovery, reconstruction, and development efforts in Haiti following the
earthquake of January 12, 2010, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the
Assessing Progress in Haiti
Act.

2.

Findings

Congress finds the following:

(1)

On January 12,
2010, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter magnitude scale struck the
country of Haiti.

(2)

According to the
United States Geological Survey (USGS)—

(A)

the earthquake
epicenter was located approximately 15 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, the
capital of Haiti; and

(B)

the earthquake was
followed by 59 aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or greater, the most severe
measuring 6.0.

(3)

According to the
Government of Haiti, more than 316,000 people died as a result of the
earthquake, including 103 citizens of the United States and more than 100
United Nations personnel.

(4)

According to the
United Nations and the International Organization for Migration—

(A)

an estimated
3,000,000 people were directly affected by the disaster, nearly one-third of
the country’s population; and

(B)

more than
2,100,000 people were displaced from their homes to settlements.

(5)

Casualty numbers
and infrastructure damage, including to roads, ports, hospitals, and
residential dwellings, place the earthquake as the worst cataclysm to hit Haiti
in over two centuries and, proportionally, one of the world’s worst natural
disasters in modern times.

(6)

The Post Disaster
Needs Assessment (PDNA) conducted by the Government of Haiti, the United
Nations, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and other experts
estimates that damage and economic losses totaled $7,804,000,000, approximately
120 percent of Haiti’s gross domestic product in 2009.

(7)

Haiti is the
poorest, least developed country in the Western Hemisphere with, prior to the
earthquake—

(A)

more than 70
percent of Haitians living on less than $2 per day; and

(B)

a ranking of 149
out of 182 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index.

(8)

House Resolution
1021, which was passed on January 21, 2010, on a vote of 411 to 1
expressed—

(A)

the House of
Representatives’ deepest condolences and sympathy for the horrific loss
of life caused by the earthquake; and

(B)

bipartisan support
for Haiti’s recovery and reconstruction.

(9)

The initial
emergency response of the men and women of the United States Government, led by
the United States Agency for International Development and United States
Southern Command, was swift and resolute.

(10)

United States urban search and rescue
(USAR) teams were immediately activated after the earthquake and deployed from
Fairfax County, Virginia, Los Angeles County, California, Miami-Dade, Florida,
the City of Miami, Florida, and Virginia Beach, Virginia, to assist the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID) Disaster Assistance
Response Team (DART), and New York City’s first responders asked the Office of
U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) to activate a New York City urban
search and rescue shortly thereafter.

(11)

A month after the
earthquake, the House of Representatives unanimously passed House Resolution
1059 which expressed gratitude to these USAR units, and highlighted that the
511 United States rescue workers comprised roughly one-third of the entire
international USAR effort in Haiti, and more than 130 people were rescued from
under the rubble in Haiti by these units.

(12)

Individuals,
businesses, and philanthropic organizations across the United States and
throughout the international community responded in support of Haiti and its
populace during this crisis, sometimes in innovative ways such as fundraising
through text messaging.

(13)

The Haitian
diaspora in the United States, which was integral to emergency relief
efforts—

(A)

has annually
contributed significant monetary support to Haiti through remittances;
and

(B)

continues to seek
opportunities to partner with the United States Agency for International
Development and other agencies to substantively contribute to the
reconstruction of Haiti.

(14)

Significant
challenges still remain in Haiti as it works to recover and rebuild.

(15)

According to the
International Organization for Migration, approximately 680,000 people remain
in spontaneous and organized camps in Haiti.

(16)

According to
numerous nongovernmental organizations and United States contractors, the pace
of reconstruction has lagged significantly behind the original emergency relief
phase.

(17)

The widespread
irregularities that occurred in the elections held in Haiti on November 28,
2010, led to outbursts of violence which undermined the recovery
efforts.

(18)

On October 21,
2010, an outbreak of cholera was detected in the Lower Artibonite
region.

(19)

Initial efforts
to contain the epidemic were disrupted by Hurricane Tomás and resulting
widespread flooding, which led to the spreading and entrenchment of the disease
throughout the country.

(20)

According to the
Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population, as of March 28, 2011—

(A)

approximately
4,766 people have died from cholera; and

(B)

approximately
270,991 have been infected from the disease.

(21)

According to the
Pan American Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, cholera could spread to as many as 400,000 people within the first
year of the epidemic, potentially causing 7,600 deaths at the current case
fatality rate.

(22)

The United States
has provided more than $62,523,017 worth of assistance to combat the cholera
epidemic, including by assisting with stockpiling health commodities, equipping
cholera treatments centers, providing public information, and improving water
and sanitation systems.

(23)

The efforts to
combat the cholera epidemic have helped to drive the mortality rate from
cholera down from nearly 7 percent to 1.7 percent of all contracted cases as of
February 25, 2011.

(24)

Throughout the
series of crises, the people of Haiti continue to demonstrate unwavering
resilience, dignity, and courage.

(25)

On March 20, 2011, presidential and
parliamentary elections were held in Haiti without major disruptions or
problems.

(26)

At the
international donors conference Towards a New Future for Haiti
held on March 31, 2010, 59 donors pledged over $5,000,000,000 to support
Haiti.

(27)

The United
Nations Office of the Special Envoy for Haiti estimates that nearly
$1,900,000,000 has been disbursed, with an additional amount of approximately
$2,000,000,000 committed.

(28)

Haiti will need
the support of the international community in order to confront the ongoing
cholera epidemic and to promote reconstruction and development.

3.

Report

(a)

Report
required

Not later than six months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the President, in consultation with the heads of all
relevant agencies, including the Department of State, the United States Agency
for International Development, the Department of Defense, the Department of
Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
shall transmit to Congress a report on the status of post-earthquake
humanitarian, reconstruction, and development efforts in Haiti, including
efforts to prevent the spread of cholera and treat persons infected with the
disease.

(b)

Contents

The
report required by subsection (a) shall include a description, analysis, and
evaluation of the—

(1)

overall progress
of relief, recovery, and reconstruction in Haiti, including—

(A)

programs and
projects of the United States Government;

(B)

programs and
projects to protect vulnerable populations, such as internally displaced
persons, children, women and girls, and persons with disabilities; and

(C)

projects to
improve water, sanitation, and health, and plans for improvements in these
areas in the long-term;

(2)

extent to which
United States and international efforts are in line with the priorities of the
Government of Haiti and are actively engaging and working through Haitian
ministries and local authorities;

(3)

coordination among
United States Government agencies, and coordination between the United States
Government and United Nations agencies, international financial institutions,
and other bilateral donors;

(4)

mechanisms for
communicating the progress of recovery and reconstruction efforts to Haitian
citizens, as well as recommendations on how these can be improved;

(5)

mechanisms through
which Haitian civil society, including vulnerable populations, is actively
participating in all major stages of recovery and reconstruction efforts, and
recommendations on how these can be improved;

(6)

mechanisms through
which the Haitian diaspora is involved in recovery and reconstruction efforts;
and

(7)

suitability of Haiti to receive aliens who
are removed, excluded, or deported from the United States pursuant to United
States law, and steps Haiti is taking to strengthen its capacity in this
regard.

(c)

Use of
previously appropriated funds

Funding for the report required
under subsection (a) shall derive from existing discretionary funds of the
departments and agencies specified in such subsection.

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